Barry Hearn has predicted Kristian Prenga will endure a "very, very painful night" against a fired-up and focused Anthony Joshua on Saturday.
Joshua will return to the ring for the first time this year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in what will also be the first fight since a car crash in December last year which killed two of his close friends.
The fight is a run-out against journeyman Prenga before Joshua looks to move on to fight Tyson Fury later this year.
Fury (35-2-1, 24 KOs) will fight Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday. While Prenga (20-1, 20 KOs) has a good record with 20 knockouts in his 20 victories, Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) is expected to win the fight in convincing fashion before finally taking on Fury, which has been signed to take place in November.
"Saturday night, I think it will be a very, very painful night for Mr. Prenga. Good luck to him. I hope he gets well paid," Matchroom's Hearn, father of Joshua's promoter Eddie, told ESPN.
"Coming through that disaster with his friends dying like that, in a bizarre way has given him the feeling that he's been spared for a purpose.
"He's thrown himself into his training into an entirely different way. Joining [Oleksandr] Usyk's camp ... He thought he was working hard ... He's come across Usyk's camp and gone: 'Bloody hell' -- this is a different world.
"He wants it to be hard [work] because he knows he's got to pay a price and he's ready to inflict some serious pain on Saturday that's for sure."
A date and venue for Joshua vs. Fury has yet to be announced, with the United Kingdom and the United States both potential options.
Hearn said he wants to see the fight take place in the UK, but understands why Turki Alalshikh, who is bankrolling the fight, might want to stage it across the Atlantic.
- Heavyweight titles explained: Can Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua challenge?
- Grief has inspired fighters before: Can Anthony Joshua thrive despite tragedy?
- Amid horse manure in the middle of nowhere, Tyson Fury hasn't always boxed on the big stage
"It should be in the UK, without a shadow of a doubt. Our contract specifies it's in the UK," Hearn said.
"But ... There's a big but. The money that they're getting paid, irrespective of what the contract says, automatically gives a huge amount of power to Turki Alalshikh, who is a fight fan, who may have other ideas.
"We're putting all the pressure on we can [for the UK]. For me, personally, it's a fight I've been looking forward to."
